For the last 4.5 billion years the Earth and Moon have essentially comprised a binary planet system which is unique in the inner Solar System. During this time life has evolved and prospered on Earth, yet key aspects of our planet's early environment are poorly understood owing to active geological and meterological cycles which have largely erased the geological record from the first thousand million years of Earth history.

Fortunately, the binary nature of the Earth-Moon system provides a means of remedying this situation -- records of the early environment shared by the Earth-Moon system will be preserved on the ancient surface of the Moon. This Specialist Discussion meeting will explore how the lunar geological record may be used to elucidate early Solar System processes relevant to understanding the earliest history of our own planet and the conditions under which life originated on it. The meeting will also address the extent to which future lunar exploration will be required to gain access to this potentially very rich historical record.